


Harry Potter and the Epilogue That Should Have Been

by merissea211



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Epilogue, Hogwarts, HogwartsOnLine contest fic, Old Friends, Penny before she was a character in Hogwarts Mystery, Written sometime around 2008, fixit, hol
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-22
Updated: 2019-03-22
Packaged: 2019-11-28 04:27:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,629
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18203531
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/merissea211/pseuds/merissea211
Summary: A very short one-shot alternative epilogue for the Harry Potter series. This was written years ago (2008? earlier?) as part of a writing contest hosted by the Library on H.O.L. (Hogwarts OnLine). How I felt the series OUGHT to have ended. (I love JK's works, but that epilogue, man... doesn't do a THING for me. And don't even get me started on the Cursed Play.)





	Harry Potter and the Epilogue That Should Have Been

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     Harry leaned casually against the blackboard at the front of the classroom as nervous students filed in. A smile threatened to ruin his carefully-crafted scowl as he remembered that he, too, had had double potions with Gryffindors and Slytherins as a first year. Piercing black eyes flashed through his mind, and he gently pushed away the painful memory. The war had ended nineteen years ago, and today he honored one of the many legacies left by an honorable man… who knew exactly how to make a lasting impression on children. Mentally, Harry grinned.  
     “You are here,” he spoke suddenly, making the class jump, “to learn the subtle science and exact art of potion-making.” The room was silent, and his barely whispered words reached even the farthest corners. “This is a subtle magic. I expect that few of you will really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses…” The Gryffindors exchanged looks amongst themselves, unsure that this was quite legal. The Slytherins looked wary. “I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, and even stopper death!” Harry paused here for effect. “- if you aren’t as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach.”  
     He had considered leaving this part out. It didn’t quite sit well with him to start the term by insulting his students, but it did tend to make them bristle – and work hard to prove him wrong. He scowled fiercely around the room once more, then snapped, “Miss Knight!”  
     The Slytherin jumped, her head snapping up from the parchment upon which she had rapidly been taking notes.  
      “…Sir?” Her eyes were wide, and she gripped her quill.  
     Harry gave her credit for keeping her voice steady. He allowed a smile to play at the corners of his lips.  
     “Miss Knight, ten points to Slytherin for diligent note-taking. The rest of you would do well to have parchment and quill at the ready.” The room was suddenly full of rustling as students hastily dug through their bags for supplies.  
     “This is first year Potions. As you probably know, I am Professor Potter. In answer to your questions – yes, I am Harry Potter. I do have a scar. I helped to defeat Voldemort – but not without the help of my friends. And no, you may not have an autograph. I will gladly scrawl corrections on your essays, however; the most valuable – and rare - signature that you can strive for in here is for an A on assignments.” The class laughed nervously.  
     “As I have indicated, this will not be an easy class. You will NOT understand its importance. You will NOT be allowed to slack off. You will NOT be able to avoid minor disasters and explosions. And you will NOT misbehave in my class.” He smiled, then, and sat himself on the top of his desk. “And… I will NOT be a git. I swear.” He winked, and one of the Gryffindor girls blushed.  
     “No, really! No git. But I will be demanding. If you put forth your best effort, I’ll reward accordingly. If you don’t work hard, you’ll feel it – Slytherin or Gryffindor.” The Gryffindors looked a bit put out at this, hoping that he would favor his own house. Harry grinned. “You know, the Sorting Hat nearly put me in Slytherin. You really can’t expect me to choose between you two. And anyway, I don’t play favorites. In all my experience, it only pays when people from different Houses work TOGETHER. So that’s what we’re going to do. Here are the pairs – one from each house. Isn’t this fun?” The entire class groaned, and Harry grinned again. Who said that cruelty couldn’t be constructive?

**********************************************************

     Later that evening, four shadows danced on the wall of the Potions master’s living quarters as old friends gathered for tea. The room itself was cold, its walls stone and its corners dark, but in recent years it had quietly accumulated a number of colorful additions. A large, plush, red armchair dominated the other furnishings, among them: an old couch that had once been in the Slytherin common room; a beautiful tapestry with one corner burnt off; an antique table that had once held curious glass instruments of indeterminate use; a number of battered throw pillows that clashed in a curiously endearing combination; and a tall, worn mirror with now-unreadable words etched into its frame. The room centered around a little table that was currently crowded with teacups and saucers, as well as a bowl of lemon drops.  
     “So, Harry, how was the first day of classes?” a friendly, round-faced professor asked, breaking the companionable silence. “I haven’t got my first-years until tomorrow, you know – Herbology is never on the first day.” He didn’t seem to know whether to be relieved or a bit put-out.  
     “Oh, you know. Same as usual. He terrified the living daylights out of them before dashing their hopes of an autograph. Right Harry?” a red-headed, incredibly freckled auror cut in, grinning. Harry laughed.  
     “Pretty much. I mean, it wouldn’t be Potions without the welcoming speech, you know? But I can’t keep it up nearly as well as Snape did. Mind you, it does work rather well to keep them in check. Ravenclaws are impressed by the course objectives. Hufflepuffs are reassured by the fairness. Gryffindors are challenged to prove themselves, and Slytherins like the sneaky bait-and-switch introduction. In fact, I haven’t had a single problem with disobedience since Penny thought she could outsmart me by adding mugwort to the Babbling Brew three years ago… That was a disaster.” He shook his head, amused.  
     A bushy-haired witch reddened and protested, “Harry, you KNOW that was an accident. She just gets mixed up so easily – I do suppose it looks a little like powdered monkshood,” she bit her lip. “Honestly! I don’t know where she gets it – even Ron wasn’t so careless in Potions!” She paused. “Okay, well... maybe he was.” Harry laughed again.  
     “Hermione, how was your day?” Neville interjected. “Speaking of disobedience, weren’t there strikes going on in your department? I saw a headline about it in the Daily Prophet, but didn’t have a chance to read the details.” He looked at her curiously. Ron snorted as Hermione reddened even more.  
     “Well, no, not strikes, exactly. I mean, they were, but they weren’t what I had organized.” She hesitated. “The Department for Magical Minorities was going to stage a house elf strike to demand better wages – that is, any wages at all – and vacation time. An enormous number of them showed up, really, they were quite enthusiastic, but –” again she stopped, twisting the hem of her robes in her hands in discomfort.  
     “But?” prompted Harry.  
     “But,” Ron interrupted, shaking with laughter, “they were all there to protest the protest! They started cleaning everything! Dusting, organizing, straightening everyone’s hats and bowties…” he chortled. “It was the biggest anti-strike in house elf history!” Hermione covered her face in her hands, thoroughly embarrassed.  
Harry hastily patted her on the shoulder, trying his best not to laugh. “I’m sure they’ll think about it, Hermione. You’re doing a wonderful thing, working to secure equal rights for everyone. I mean, at least the Muggle-borns are grateful.” She nodded, brightening some.  
     Neville chuckled. “Things never change, do they? Hermione, you’re still trying to think through all of society’s unsolved problems. Ron’s still bravely charging into situations that Hermione has to help him out of.” He scratched his head. “I suppose I’m still trying to stay out of the way and look after my plants – and my toads, when I can find them,” he added ruefully. Everyone chuckled. “And Harry,” he turned to his colleague and best friend, “Harry’s still defying everyone’s expectations! Who’d have thought, taking Snape’s old post!” He shook his head in amazement.  
     Harry shrugged. “It just seemed like the right thing to do. I mean, I can’t leave Hogwarts… It’s my home. And everyone wanted me to take the Defense Against the Dark Arts position…” He snorted. “I spent my whole life doing that! And really, Potions was the only thing I had to work hard enough at that I remembered any of it. Besides,” he added, “can you imagine Snape’s expression? How could I resist? One last way to pester the git.” He grinned, but the others knew him well enough to know that it was a bit forced.  
     There was silence for a moment, broken only by the tinkling of porcelain as Hermione absently stirred the teabag around her cup.  
     “Everything worked out, in the end, though. Didn’t it?” she said softly. “You-Know… Voldemort is gone, and we’ve brought all known Death Eaters to justice. And the Ministry is running better than ever under Kingsley.”  
     “Hogwarts enrollment is up,” Neville added, “and house rivalry is much friendlier than it was in our day. And would you know, Hufflepuff won the house cup last year?” He shook his head in amazement. “Not to mention we’re planning on starting an international exchange program with other magical institutions…”  
     Ron grinned, “And the Chudley Cannons just traded Nick Nottlebum for Emelina Elfson, so they’re sure to win the Quidditch World Cup this year! I can’t believe they didn’t do it earlier, the Brogdale Bolts had her as keeper, and anyone can see that she’s loads better as chaser –” Harry nodded his agreement and Hermione rolled her eyes at both of them.  
     “The point is, everyone is living happily ever after. When no one thought we could. The wizarding world is back to normal.”  
     Harry shook his head, correcting her. “Not normal. We’re proud to be perfectly abnormal, thank you very much.” He grinned. “Perfectly abnormal indeed.”

 

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